Artist needs advice

I am an artist and want to make 4x5 transparencies of my representational painti ngs (landscapes, figures, avg size 20x24 to 40x48, rarely 60x72 inches). Faithf ul color rendition is critical. I need equipment advice. Low cost is a strong c onsideration due to the limited nature of the application.

I have considerable experience making 35mm transparencies of paintings, and am c ompetent with the basics. About 15 years ago, I aquired a used Calumet 8x10 w/ 3 00mm Caltar Pro/Copal 3 and a heavy Gitzo tripod (it seemed like a good deal at the time) which I used for a brief time making some B&W copies of larger paintin gs (6ftx8ft). The camera seems to perform satisfactorily (i.e. no leaks in the b ellows), though I never tried any color work. As I see it my options are:

1. Buy a 4x5 reducer back for my 8x10. Probably the easiest and cheapest route, but: The 8x10 is a beast to set up and take down. Will this lens/shutter give m e good color rendition? Are there other possible problems using the reducer back & the 300 mm lense?

2. Buy a used 4x5 body & use my current lense & shutter. Will this work?

3. Sell the 8x10 & start over? Where could I sell it? In ballpark figures how much would I sell it for? (it is at least a 9) What would be a good 4x5 camera f or this type of work -- obviously little if any movement would be necessary? Wha t focal length lens would I need to give me the equivalent of 50 mm in 35 mm for mat?

4. Other?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you in advance.

The camera and lens you have now should give good color rendition. Film will have a greater effect. For accurate colors, go with Kodak EPN, designed for the fashion industry where color fidelity is critical. A 300mm lens is the equivalent of 50 mm in 35 mm format for 8x10. A 150mm lens is the equivalent of 50 mm in 35 mm format for 4x5. You can use your 300mm on a 4x5 if the bellows gives you enough extension (300mm at infinity, 600mm for 1:1). Not many 4x5 cameras give you that much extension. A cheap 4x5 for this would be a Speed or Crown Graphic, since movements are minimal, however, you would need to aquire a 150mm or so lens, as they will not give you the extension required for your 300mm lens.

Keep the camera, get the reducing back (should be easy to find used) and a 180 or 210mm lens instead of the 150mm. When copying paintings I find it better to use a slightly longer than normal lens.

Also, since color rendition is important, you need to consider your light source, and use the proper filters as required.

Ted, I'm a commerical photog and one of my specialties is shooting visual art, both 2D and 3D for artisits that need that service. I use a 4x5 Sinar P (model P is overkill for 2D copywork) with a Nikkor-M 300mm F9 lens. This lens is designed for doing color seps and barely covers 8x10, which means I get killer 4x5s with no fall off (corners going dark). This lens was relatively cheap because of the slow speed and I can put on a reasonably priced polarizer over the lens too. Do you need to polarize your shots to cut glare? If you do and the currrent 300 has a huge front diameter (i.e. 100mm) then you may want to replace the lens, rather than spend a boat-load of money for a 100mm polarizing filter. If you don't need to polarize, then the 300 you have would fit on most 4x5 monorail cameras. As previously mentioned, use a longer than normal lens whenever possible (although with 72" long art that may be a problem if your space is small). The longer lens will give you less distortion and reduce glare a little too. If you want to sell the 8x10 try KEH in Atlanta or Ken Hansen in NY. I have many other dealers in my database that deal in large format used gear. E-mail me directly for further names.

Sell the camera/lens and go to medium format. Medium format will give an extensive choice of films, high resolution flat field lenses, the ability to bracket at a lower cost, and will be more cost effective overall.

Don't listen to that simpleton above. Listen if all you do is copy why not buy a used MP-4?